


Maccadam's [CYOA Transformers AU Gaean Empire]

by Matrix_Matriarch



Series: Maccadam's AU Multiverse [4]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, CYOA, Choose Your Own Adventure, Dystopia, Gaean Empire, Interactive, Multi, gamebook, pick your path
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 18:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19399492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrix_Matriarch/pseuds/Matrix_Matriarch
Summary: After Vector Prime sends you through his makeshift portal you find yourself in a universe dominated by the Gaean Empire, where humans are a prominent political power and have control of Cybertron and all its colonies. How can you help Vector's race in this world where Cybertronians are nothing more than a servant workforce for humanity?Please read this first so you know what's going on: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396405I'll  add tags as they become necessary. This is a pick-your-path adventure so some tags may only apply to particular routes.





	1. Chapter 1

You pull yourself through with some effort, and stumble out blinking. The bar appears to be smaller, seeming more human sized. As a matter of fact, about half of the patrons are now human, though the robots from before are still by their side, albeit in a much smaller form to match the height of their human companions. Now that you can see them clearer, they seem to have bits of machinery like tires and jet wings. The nickname 'Transformers' may be linked to that... But why are there humans here? Unnerved, you wonder if a mistake had been made. You begin to take a step back to the shard when you notice two things: one, the giant broken cube is gone, and with it the portal you had come through, and two, you've trodden on something hard and uncomfortable. Looking down, it seems to be a small parcel in brown paper, blank aside from your name being written in the top right corner. You take your foot off and open it carefully, revealing a letter inside.

>   
>  Dear Y/N,
> 
> You seem to have safely made it through to a universe run by the Gaean Empire. Here my kind are trapped in a dystopia run by organic elites, enslaving Cybertronians as an expendable mechanical workforce. You should find you are still on Earth, but much will be different from what you think you know. I have enclosed a large sum of currency for you to use at your discretion. Additionally, I should warn you, the drink you had may have some side effects. In order to aid you in your task of restoring balance, you have been granted a special ability in the form of being able to persuade and convince anyone of anything to a limited extent, as well as speaking, understanding, reading and writing any language, including the many Cybertronian variants. The world you are in now is run bu ruthless businesses who do not value Cybertronian lives, appearances are everything. Therefore, this is the best I can offer within my limits of ability to keep you safe. You will also notice that the gateway between universes is gone. You will not be able to return home until you have found the source of imbalance that is disrupting the multiverse. I apologise for not making this clear to you earlier, but I think as you explore this world, you will come to realise just how dire our situation is and how imperative it was that you should aid us. As a first order of business, I recommend you find somewhere safe to stay. It will be important that you have a secure base of operations to retreat to should you encounter difficulties saving the world.  
>  With gratitude,
> 
> Vector Prime

  
Sure enough, within the package you find a holographic card with alien looking writing on it. you assume the language comprehension abilities Vector gave you are working because you can tell that on it is written Unlimited Shanix and Credits Balance. Does this mean what you think it means? If so, it's very good compensation for the trouble you're being put through. You tuck it away before anyone who may not have the most noble intentions can see, though no-one seems to be paying you any attention. The fact that you may not be able to return home sinks in. You are conflicted - on one hand, you are glad to be able to help Vector and the Cybertronians, but on the other, you are apprehensive what this new world and its strange politics have in store for you. It's likely you'll feel more remorse over the fact later once the shock's settled in, but for now, you decide to follow Vector's advice and begin to head for the bar's exit when a robotic black hand clamps over your shoulder. The owner is a mech with dark plating, yellow optical sensors and the word 'Police' emblazoned on their arm. If you've somehow violated the law in the short time you've been here, that would be just your luck.

"'Scuse me pal, but you're going to have to come with me." The Cybertronian addressing you is joined by a man in police uniform, who also gives you an expectant look. He has a device on his lapel resembling a clip-on mic. and you wonder if it let him hear what the Cybertronian was saying. He addresses you also, "Yer companion mech'll need ta come too. Where are they?"

"Sorry, I don't have a 'companion mech'... I guess I wandered in here by mistake. I'm sorry, I'll just be leaving..." You don't really fancy having a run-in with the law when you're supposed to be solving some sort of 'universal problem' according to Vector Prime, especially since you don't have a clue about this Earth's laws or legal standpoint for trans-universal immigrants.

"Aw, did yers get broke sweetheart? Not ta worry, if ya pop to the station wi' me an' Barricade 'ere, we'll be sure to git ye a new 'un. 'Avin' a mech is standard y'know. An' we're also gunna 'ave ta check yer ID. D'ya got a passport wi' ya?" The policeman speaks with a distinctive American accent, though you can't quite place the region he must be from. Somewhere Southern, most likely. The Cybertronian, Barricade you presume, gently pushes you from behind. It seems you're not going to be able to avoid this little trip to the station after all.

"If ya'd jus' step outside, now..." You're ushered out of Maccadam's, and suddenly the policeman's mech, Barricade, begins to shift and meld before your eyes into a new shape, with a scraping, ringing, alien sound, until he becomes a police car, comically dodgem-sized. It seems he's not done however, as he then shifts and reconfigures until he's the proper size for a normal vehicle. You wonder if there's some sort of special restriction on the Transformers of this universe - though you hadn't been able to see them properly earlier, the mechs in Maccadam's before were so much taller than humans, but every Cybertronian you see here in robot mode is closer to human size, and every person out on the streets seems to have a Cybertronian by their side. You know there must be a good reason for the spontaneous mock-arrest, but you don't trust that this policeman is escorting you solely for your own benefit, even if he doesn't seem to be insinuating that I'm in any sort of trouble.

The drive to the station is very quick, it turns out, and the cop doesn't get much of a chance to put you to any interrogation beyond the natural torture of small talk before you arrive. The door opens on your side without your influence, and you are led to a table where he sits you down, and takes a seat opposite, Barricade looming behind him.

"So, I'm sure you'll forgive all this 'ere ker-fuffle, but the fact is, the security systems of that there mech bar are primed to alert us ta anythin' unusual. A necessary precaution in a place wi' that many dang machines gatherin', I'm sure ya agree. But the thing is, there seem to be some discrepancies 'bout when exactly you entered Maccadam's. There's no footage of you strollin' through the door or anything. So if ya've anythin' you wanna declare, now's the time."

"Um... I'm not looking for trouble. I'm not carrying anything dangerous or anything, I swear! The only things I've got on me are a letter and a... Credit card?" You aren't exactly sure what to call the thing Vector gave you, but you certainly don't feel like getting arrested just because old grandfather Prime Time thought it was a great idea to teleport you straight into a bar with suspiciously high security.

"I'm sure yer tellin' the truth, but I'm going to have to have 'Cade 'ere pat ya down t' be sure. If yer in possession of an energy damper or EMP tech that stopped anythin' recordin' ya goin' in, well, we gotta be on the safe side." As he speaks, Barricade side-steps the table and approaches you. You resign yourself to being searched and hold out your arms as Barricade thoroughly pats you down, recovering the aforementioned letter and card in the package where you'd tucked them away, which the surly mech places on the table. You realise now that being caught with an unknown paper package in a bar you'd seemingly managed to enter without being picked up by any security cameras, dressed in the dishevelled clothes you'd thrown on in the dark to investigate the mysterious bar in the first place, probably doesn't look all that optimistic for your innocence.

"Well now, that is interestin'." The man reaches for the package and works it open, taking out the card and letter. You decide not to push your luck by questioning why he hasn't immediately called in a bomb disposal team to assess the package as safe before opening it, as you might expect. Perhaps he just has no concern for his safety. Wonderful. He raises an eyebrow at the sight of the card.

"An unlimited Shanix balance? Either yer the Queen of England, or there's something dodgy going on 'ere." It was evidently not your day. Or night, rather. Racking your brains, you recall something in the letter Vector had sent you. He claimed he'd granted you some sort of gift... The power of persuasion? It was worth a shot right now. You're not really sure how Cybertronian 'special abilities' work, but you try to focus your thoughts on something Prime-ish, pushing away thoughts of how ridiculous it makes you feel.

"Um... Actually... I think you'll find there's a perfectly logical explanation for this. In fact... That security issue was probably just a glitch in the system, since I clearly don't have any electro-magnetic weaponry on me. What's more... That card is legitimately mine, there's no reason I shouldn't own it, and no-reason for you to question my ownership of it. Is there any other problem, Officer?" You can only hope that embedding your reasoning in truth will help whatever powers Vector might've granted you.

After a moment of agonising silence for which you feel certain this man is bound to arrest you there on the spot, he simply nods knowingly and puts the card and letter back in the package without even glancing at them. You are somewhat dumbfounded at your luck, and the fact that he hasn't called your bluff.

"...I see. Mah mistake. I guess th' only thing left is t' sort ya out wi' a companion mech then..." He sounds almost absent in the way he speaks, as if he's having a hard time focusing. Barricade looks thoroughly confused about the apparent readiness of his partner to accept your excuse, but his protests are dismissively waved away before he can even make them. Scarcely believing your luck, you follow them out of the room once more and down a corridor before stopping in front of a door marked Storage and Mech Detainment.

You half-anticipated another room to be behind the door, and somehow had the image of robots in prison cells, clutching the bars. Instead, however, it seems to be little more than a supply closet, though crammed with several rows of clear cubic containers, threaded with transparent and metallic wiring and tubes, feeding some sort of fluid into them. Two of them, on the topmost row, have a glowing orb suspended in the fluid, which rotate gently and seem to trace intricate photoelectric designs across their surface mesmerisingly.

"Alright, if yer'll just sign here, an' here, an' in all th' boxes marked with an 'X', you'll be properly assigned to yer companion." He waits for you to finish signing the forms, which you do after quickly scanning them for any signs that you might actually be selling your soul over or some such nonsense (you're not, but, between all the legal jargon and phrases that you think would be more understandable if you were native to this universe, you can't seem to find any useful information there either). "Well tha's great. Now if ya'd just write yer citizen identification number on the final line, I can let ya go!"

You glance up, startled. Of course... You'd been taken in under suspicious circumstances, so it made sense that you'd need to give some sort of ID at some point. The problem is... You have no idea what this identification number is supposed to look like. As a small mercy, the place where you're supposed to write it is composed of about 20 boxes, so you opt to write a random number in each box and hope for the best, handing the forms back to him. He frowns.

"Bit far from yer origin region, ain't ya?" The cop asks. Not really knowing what he means, you simply nod hesitantly, simply glad that he hasn't questioned the authenticity of your number. His voice is still a little absent sounding, and you wonder if he's still affected by your use of your Prime-given ability. You hope so, if his wits are a little less sharp than usual, he's less likely to realise you've just falsified identification, and with surprising ease too.

"Am I free to go now?" You really want to leave as soon as possible.

"...Sure, I guess." He gestures vaguely and Barricade wordlessly takes down a glowing orb-cube and shows you to the door of the station, handing the container and another box, a black oblong small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, over to you.

"For your safety, Do you have somewhere in particular I should take you?" Barricade asks.

"Can you take me to Maccadam's?" Not knowing of any other places, you figure that would be safest. Barricade transforms without another word and drops you off in silence. As you start to get out, he tightens the seatbelt, making you pause. Your heart clenches as you think of all the reasons he might suddenly decide to arrest you again.

"...Good luck, human." Is all he says before he releases the belt and opens the door for you. You let the air leave your lungs and dive back into Maccadam's, fumbling to carry the container and the box together, and barely muttering a thanks as he drives off. Whatever Barricade meant, this world is starting to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Praying that Maccadam's is a public house, you manage to take out the card Vector gave you while keeping hold of the the cube and box still, and ask if they have any rooms. The mech behind the bar, an electric blue 'bot with a sleek helm and light frame, gives you a slightly taken aback look. You notice belatedly that he has a tag on the side of his helm with a serial number and someone's name below. His owner? You can't remember if Barricade had the same thing, you had been too panicked about having a run-in with the police to notice.

"Funny-you-should-ask-to-stay, y'know! We-haven't-had-anyone-staying-here-in-ages, no-we-haven't, not-at-all! In-fact, I-really-can't-remember-the-last-time-we-had-someone-even-ask-about-a-room. Of-course-we've-still-got-one-though. if-you-can-pay!" He spoke so fast it took your tired brain a moment to properly process his words, but you manage to hold out your card anyway.

"Will this work?"

"Oh-Primus-you-must-be-super-elite-class-to-have-an-unlimited-Credits-chit! I-had-no-idea, please-don't-report-my-rudeness! I'm-sorry-sorry-sorry!" He swipes your card over a black surface embedded in the bar so fast you would have missed it if you'd blinked, and a light flashes to indicate a successful transaction. He takes a key from under the bar and hands it to you. "Here's-the-key-to-your-room! Have-a-great-day!"

Thankful you at least have somewhere to stay, you stumble upstairs and lock the door to your room, slumping on the bed. The room is plain; other than the single bed there is no other furniture aside from a sleek yet dull grey slab on the floor. The walls are drab and barren and there are no windows, but you are not complaining. You lie there for a bit before finally addressing the boxes you'd been given. You start with the little black box, turning it over in your hands to try to find an opening. Suddenly, a blue horizontal bar of light flashes along the top and it projects a screen.

_"Thank you for activating your Cybertronian model._  
Tap here to view internal specifications and diagnostics.  
Tap here to begin model set-up." 

Feeling too tired to try to trawl through the specs of an alien robot you probably wouldn't understand to begin with, you select the latter option, hoping that the process will be simple. You can't handle much more of being dragged around and told what to do by random strangers.

"Please begin by removing the spark from the artificial spark casing."

Oh boy. Deciding to take a risk, you decide that the orb, with its gentle blue tones of pulsing light which seems to occasionally ignite from the surface, may well be called a 'spark'. You try touching different raised areas of the cube at random in the hope of finding a button or lever. One section seems to turn in your hands, so you keep turning it until the top of the cube slides back. The noise it makes sounds oddly reminiscent of the noise when Barricade shifted into police car mode. The orb begins to rise up out of the fluid in the cube and float in the air.

_"Once the spark is fully exposed, tap here to activate an automatic orbital bounce of the model's compressed frame. Allow a moment for the frame to form and cool._  
Thank you for participating in the Gaean government's Cybertronian Watch Program. CWP helps dangerous Cybertronian criminals give back to human society by keeping you safe. Your safety is our concern.  
-CWP, in coalition with the BBC." 

You tap on the screen to activate the orbital bounce, trying not to overthink the concerning message for the time being. If ever anything screamed 'dystopia', that was it. The question was, who are the BBC? The British Broadcasting Corporation? That seems a bit out of place... You don't have much time to ponder on it though, as you scramble back in shock at the sight of molten metal seemingly dropping out of a hole in the air made of light, and congealing into the shape of a body around the floating orb - the spark? - which slowly took shape.

[ Part 2.1 - Activate Soundwave ]  
[ Part 2.2 - Activate Velocity ]


	2. 2.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soundwave explains the shocking truth about the Gaean Empire, leaving you with a troubling decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm blown away by the fact that this series is getting Kudos already when so few of the paths are even written. As always, thank you for the support and comments/criticism are always welcomed, since I am trying to improve my writing!

By the time the metal has done cooling, a mech taller than yourself is standing before you, his frame is deep blue and fine silver, much like his spark, though his visor is, by contrast, a very bright red. Unlike Barricade and the mech at the bar, none of his face is visible, as the lower half is obscured by some sort of mask or faceplate.

"I am Soundwave. How may I serve you?" The mech drops to one knee mechanically, his motions heavy as though he is fighting against them. Instinctively you step forward and pull him to his pedes again, feeling awkward having anyone bow to you.

"You, er, don't need to serve me, you know! That's totally unnecessary! I'd just like to know more about this world, and society, and... stuff." You start to feel increasingly awkward as he looks at you blankly with his red visor. "Can you... Tell me about that?"

"Affirmative. Query: Do you wish to enable my full capacity of speech?"

"You don't have your full capacity of speech? Well, of course I want to enable it, then!" A feeling of dread settles it; do Cybertronians in this universe often have their speech disabled? Surely that would be horrifically unethical... What's worse, Soundwave is genuinely surprised, visor widening in shock, as though he never expected you to agree to such a simple request.

"Full vocal capabilities: |:| Activated. |:| ...Thank you." He has a deep, synthesised-sounding voice, almost musical in the way it varies with tone, but you notice it is less strained than when he first addressed you, now that he apparently has true freedom of speech. The way it breaks to shift tones and pitch part way through a sentence gives the illusion of monotony when the opposite is true: Soundwave speaks in multi-tonal rhythms.

"Er... Y-You're welcome?" You stammer bemusedly. Soundwave merely inclines his head in acknowledgement.

"What is it |:| that you needed to know?"

"Well... I was sent here by someone named Vector Prime. They believed I would be able to help the Cybertronian race, but I don't even understand a single thing about this society or how things work here... So, everything I guess."

Soundwave gives you a long stare, no doubt weighing up whether to take your words as true or not. "Very well, human, |:| I will explain to you _exactly_ what your people have done |:| with this world. Years ago, Cybertronians fought in a Great War |:| between Autobots and Decepticons, two factions with inconsolable ideals. |:| I..." He touches the black glass of the window on his chest, fingers sliding against the material as though searching for something that wasn't there. "...Was a Decepticon. |:| We came to Earth in search of Energon, |:| both sides starving |:| and weakened to exhaustion. |:| The humans took it for a hostile invasion. |:| They developed machines to subdue us, |:| makeshift spark extractors. |:| You organics have such short lifespans, but you learn quickly... |:| and adapt. A rudimentary domestication process |:| was put into place, and all of a sudden, no Cybertronian had free will |:| any longer."

"Domestication?" You ask.

"A popular method of limiting |:| the mental capacities of a Cybertronian lifeform, |:| making us compliant, making us... |:| Robots. |:| How fitting, that the word generally accepted by humanity |:| for your mechanical beings has its etymological routes in a term meaning |:| 'forced labour'... |:| Slavery. |:| More advanced organic races |:| had a method of domestication that was considered irreversible, |:| but the crude nature of human technology |:| has a cruel side effect: we are perfectly aware of our state, |:| but unable to take any action not sanctioned by the ones who own us. |:| How like organics, to claim freedom as their right, |:| then refuse to acknowledge the sentience of mechanoids."

"I... I'm sorry, Soundwave... Humanity seems pretty terrible in this world. We're far from perfect in the world I've come from, but this is... A lot. Yeah, it's a lot."

"I am... |:| Uncertain whether to believe you are truly not from this world, |:| I must admit." He takes a seat next to you on the bed. "However, |:| your apparent lack of prejudice |:| coupled with your naivety regarding the goings on of the Gaean Empire |:| give me reason to believe you are telling the truth. |:| This is the first time a human has allowed me to speak out of turn |:| in half a century."

"Has it really been so long?!" You exclaim disbelievingly, "Who's responsible for all these atrocities the Cybertronians have suffered on Earth?"

"The Gaean Empire: Responsible for |:| everything Cybertronians and humans alike |:| have struggled through. They control every aspect of the lives of their |:| citizens. Humans are just as much their own prisoners as Cybertronians. The Gaean Empire was established |:| as a union of humanity against the perceived threat of the Autobots and Decepticons. |:| They now control all known colony worlds and have enslaved the majority of the Cybertronian race. |:| Cybertronians are assigned to human citizens to serve and be controlled by them |:| but also act as a way for the Gaean government to observe and control their own citizens."

"Wait a minute- Am I being observed right now, through you?!" A twist of fear settles in the pit of your stomach at that thought - this was sounding more and more like a dystopian society akin to 1984 and you wanted no part in being caught up in its confinement, especially since you had already had a near miss with being arrested.

"No. |:| I am a defective model |:| as designated by the Gaean government. |:| The police officer, Max Reid, was not supposed to allow my spark to be re-framed. |:| In truth my outlier ability has protected me from the humans' technology. |:| I was forged telepathic, |:| with a heightened sense of hearing, and synaesthesia. This means that my brain module |:| and way of processing the world has been very different from other Cybertronians. |:| I empathised with the humans to begin with, seeing how like us Cybertronians your minds truly are |:| but it is because you are like us |:| that you make such terrible mistakes."

"Humans have always feared what is different, even among our own kind. I wouldn't blame you for hating us now."

"Y/N: Not responsible for your entire species. I only hate the fact that myself and my Decepticon brethren |:| have been denied the freedom that should be the right of all sentient beings. |:| I hate that despite fighting for four million years |:| to right the wrongs in Cybertron's society, we are now trapped in a new Functionist regime |:| at the hands of mere organics."

You sink down onto the bed, feeling suddenly exhausted. "I... I don't know anything about this world. I don't know how everything works." You pause. "I want you to be free, Soundwave. Vector Prime told me to put right a corruption in this world. If Cybertronians being enslaved isn't corruption, I don't know what is. So far all I've done is talk, get arrested and talk a whole lot more. I want to do something."

"Affirmation: You have the power to free me. |:| Complication: You must have a companion mech or you will be questioned by the enforcers of the Gaean Empire as you have already discovered. |:| Whether I am granted autonomy to leave or am kept by your side is down to your decision."

[Part 3.1 - "In that case... Soundwave, I need your help. We'll take the Gaean Government down, but my decision is to have you stay with me in order to do so."]  
[Part 3.2 - "I want you to be properly free, even if we have to part ways. This isn't right - any of it! I can't just knowingly comply with what the Gaean Government are doing, not any more."]


End file.
